Street vendors assault SMC officials at HSHS: Spokesman

Says corporation calls off drive after the incident

Srinagar, Feb 22 (KNS): Senior officers of Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) had to face a wrath from street vendors during an extensive anti encroachment drive cum awareness, a spokesman said on Thursday.
“The street vendors assaulted some of the senior most officers of the Corporation during the drive that was launched on anti encroachments in various areas including Mahraja Bazaar, Batamaloo, Hari Singh High Street and other areas,” the spokesman said in a statement issued to KNS.
It was an extensive drive that SMC launched in compliance to the orders of High Court in PIL No: 458/2003 titled Kashmir Consumer Welfare Forum and another V/S Commissioner Transport Department & others.
All the senior officials of Corporation, Municipal Union Employees, Municipal Workers Union, including the enforcement wing headed by Commissioner SMC Riyaz Ahmed Wani himself took to these areas in order to create a grand awareness through public addressing system on anti encroachment drives
Commissioner SMC personally interacted with the street vendors regarding the inconvenience that is caused to public due to occupying the road side and public spaces which has also become main cause of traffic jams and accidents in the city.
However, the spokesman said that some miscreants at Hari Singh High Street showed resentment and started assaulting Senior Officers of the Corporation due to which the drive had to be called off. (KNS)